The invention relates generally to compaction machines, such as those used to compact landfills and, more particularly, to a compactor wheel on such a compaction machine having a plurality of cleats thereon for reducing the amount of waste build-up on the compactor wheel.
Compaction machines are used to compact landfill sites, garbage dumps and other such locations. These machines typically include a self-propelled vehicle having four large compactor wheels made of steel. Each compactor wheel has a hub mounted to one end of an axle and a rim disposed around and radially out from the hub. The rim typically includes an outer wrapper on which a plurality of cleats is usually mounted. The design of conventional compactor wheels, and in particular the compactor wheel cleats, varies widely. In general, the cleats are designed to compress (i.e., compact) the waste by concentrating the weight of the compaction machine on the relatively small area of the cleats. The cleats also function to break apart waste by imparting breaking forces thereon.
One problem encountered with existing cleat designs is that waste can build-up on the cleats over time. That is, as the compactor wheel traverses the surface of the landfill and waste is compressed by the cleats, waste may build-up in crevices/depressions in the cleat, or may be punctured by the cleat and thereby become stuck on the cleat. Such accumulation of debris on the cleats is undesirable, as it minimizes the efficiency of the cleats with respect to its ability to impart compression and breaking forces on the waste being compacted and to provide traction to the compaction machine.
It would therefore be desirable to have a system and method capable of providing a cleat that minimizes the build-up of waste thereon. It would further be desirable for such a cleat to provide efficient compression and breaking forces on the waste being compacted.